Revenge
by VestaraJade
Summary: The sequel to Reunion.
1. Chapter 1

In the far corners of the galaxy, a voice whispered in the dark. It called out, not with words, but with thoughts, spreading, like ripples on the surface of a pond:

_Come to me. Come to me, and I shall make you great. You shall lord over all the pathetic creatures of this galaxy, crushing them beneath your almighty heel. But most importantly, you shall help me take my revenge. Revenge against the Jedi, revenge against the Sith girl, revenge against that thrice-cursed grandson of Vader. Come to me, and together we __**will**__ kill Ben Skywalker!_

~O~

Karick Pyial sat up with a start, shaken from his sleep by what he had now come to think of as "The Voice." Every time he tried to rest, he was almost immediately waken from his slumber by the recurring dream. The terrible voice whispering to him out of the dark. And no matter how many times he checked his room, he could never find a source.

At first, it had just been a feeling. An inexplicable need to travel. And so he had, all the way across the surface of the planet, walking or jumping onto moving vehicles from the walkways. But it hadn't been enough. Eventually, he decided to ignore the call, and go back to his life as a tramp, and for a time, it left him alone. But then it had returned, haunting his sleep, the same message over and over again. Karick may not have been privy to the holonet news much, living as he did in the undercity, but even he knew who Ben Skywalker was. What he couldn't figure out was why the voice wanted to kill him. Karick didn't particularly like the Jedi, as they had never tried to help him, but he wasn't stupid enough to try to kill one, either.

Rolling over on the hard duracrete floor of a long abandoned building, Karick found himself facing a patch of Yorik Coral. Hardly an uncommon site in the underlevels, but one that he hated, nonetheless. Karick had only been a child when the Yuuzhan Vong were defeated, but it was then that he had lost his mother. He never knew where he had been born, but as a child he had been brought to Coruscant, or "Yuuzhan'tar" as it was called then, to be sacrificed. He barely remembered his mother's face, but he had never forgotten her last words to him, as he was carried away on in the arms of a shamed one, who had disrupted the sacrificial ceremony.

_Karick Pyial, _she had said _You __**will**__ survive this, and you are destined to be-_

That was as far as she had gotten, before they were swept apart in the tide of battle. He remembered little else about the war, except hiding in the dark recesses of the deepest parts of the Vong-formed city, starving, but afraid to venture forth for fear of being killed. In the years that had followed, with the so-called Galactic Alliance trying to clean up the city, Karick had fallen into company with an old woman by the name of Caleya, who had used him to run errands for the smuggling ring she was in charge of. Awful, dangerous work, but at least she had fed him and taught him to read and speak basic. Six years later Karick, age ten, had arrived at the meager apartment they shared to find her lying on the rug in a pool of blood, her eyes staring at nothing. Karick had run, fast and far, to escape that awful sight. Since then, he had been on his own, a constant hunger gnawing at his belly. Finally, a year ago, he had decided to try to find work on the surface, and had worked for a time, as a dishwasher in one of the restaurants near the Jedi Temple. At least, until it had been demolished in the fearsome battle against the being known as Abeloth. The restaurant had caught fire and burned to the ground almost taking Karick with it. He had escaped, but just barely, partly due to the agility he had gained from climbing from building to building in his youth.

He had fled back down into the undercity, content to live his life in peace, even if it meant being hungry. And so, after years of horror and starvation, he lay in shadow, shivering under his scrappy blanket.

_I'm so sick of this, _he thought to himself, _Living in fear and hunger all of my life. Surely my mother didn't mean that this is what I'm destined to be. Or did she? I'll never know. _He sighed. Then straightened as a thought occurred to him_. Maybe she meant that I was destined to follow "The Voice" and become Lord of the Galaxy. _He wasn't sure what had prompted him to think this, but it instantly felt right.

"Yes." He said, standing, and began gathering his things. "I will follow The Voice." As he spoke, his voice rose in pitch, until he was shouting. "I shall lord over all the pathetic creatures of this galaxy. I will take revenge, and I will kill Ben Skywalker!" He laughed, long and loud until he was cut off by a fist-sized chunk of duracrete that slammed into his stomach. A disembodied voice floated from the darkness,

"Shut your trap, you kriffin' barve! Some of us is tryin' to sleep!"

Karick shouted back, "I will be your master, you cur! And soon you shall bow at my feet!"

"Nutjob." came the reply, in a resigned tone.

Karick just smiled.

~O~

Six days later, Karick was regretting his decision. Not the decision to follow The Voice, which had been successful up until this point. He had hopped aboard a small freighter bound for Nal Hutta, and remained hidden until the ship had cleared planetary security, and then he had snuck up to the cockpit and killed the pilot and co-pilot. It was this decision that he was regretting, as he realized too late that he had no idea how to fly a ship. He had managed to input the coordinates that had flashed through his mind, and entered hyperspace without too much trouble, but now he was about to re-enter realspace, and he was going to have to land the ship sometime. Soon, he realized, as he glanced at the string of numbers, counting down toward zero, when he would have to revert. He put his hand on the lever, not exactly sure how he knew which one it was, and pulled.

The stars resolved into lines before his astonished eyes. He tried to take everything in. Before his eyes was a sun, as red as blood with a glowing sheen of black surrounding it. Karick hadn't even known that black could glow until now. His eyes shifted towards the planet which he knew was his destination and as they did, his hands steered the ship towards it, too. A dusty red with patches of what could only be lava, it seemed wrong to Karick, probably because he was used to a planet where there was never night, and everything was made of metal. Without thinking, he plotted an approach vector, thankful that he could at least pilot the ship, albeit without actually being in control of it.

_Well, now I won't crash, _He thought with a smile. Just then, the ship shuddered ominously. Karick was thrown into his restraints as it shook from side to side. Panicking, he started randomly pushing things, which only made things worse. He saw the temperature gauges rising as he entered the atmosphere at far too steep an angle. Pulling up on the yoke, he managed to temporarily right the ship, only to find himself face to face with a red mountain, which was spewing magma. A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he wrested the controls in the opposite direction, causing the ship to turn away at the last moment. Now he was headed towards a flat plain, ringed in on all sides by a towering cliffs. Deciding that this would probably be preferable to landing in a volcano, he pushed the button that he thought would lower the landing gear and pushed the yoke forward again. The landing gear lowered, not that it mattered, as his ship was going so fast that it hit the ground and slid for thirty meters, jostling him so badly that he thought his teeth would fall out. Finally his transport ground to a halt, billowing smoke out of the rear. As fast as possible, he unbuckled his crash webbing and ran, rather tipsily, from the cockpit and down the landing ramp, which didn't even need to be opened, as it was already bent so badly that there were cracks all over.

He made it about ten meters before the ship blew. He was thrown forward into the ground, and out of reflex covered his ahead with his arms as a wave of fire rolled over him. He lay on the ground, panting, until he was relatively sure that there was nothing else coming, and then struggled to get to his feet, which resulted in another fall.

"Kriff!" He swore, still trying to stand. Or at least, he thought that was what he had said, for it was then he realized that he couldn't hear. He gave up trying to stand, and sat down hard, starting to assess his injuries. Nothing seemed to be broken, but his right leg had a small piece of metal in it, and he couldn't see out of one eye. Reaching up to rub away what he thought was dirt, he was shocked when his hand came away sticky with blood.

_Just what I need, _he thought, grimacing. It was then that he remembered the cause for his injuries.

He stood up fast, forgetting about his leg, and almost fell over again. He stared with utter despair at the crater that had been his stolen ship. _Now I have no way to get of this rotten hell-hole._

_At least my hearing is returning. _And sure enough, he could hear...something. He turned around slowly, trying to hear it better. Halfway around, he froze, staring in disbelief at the sight that confronted him.

_And...now I'm hallucinating. Great._

He stared in wonder at the ship, a sleek model he had never even seen, and which he could never have even dreamed of touching. He was so in awe of it, he didn't notice the girl for a full minute. She was rolling around on the ground at the bottom of the boarding ramp, and it looked like she was hurt. He ran towards her, very unsteadily, trying to help her with whatever was wrong. When he got close enough to talk to her, he said,

"Are- are you a-all right?" It was then that he realized she was not injured, but that she was laughing uncontrollably. Laughing so hard she was crying, in fact. Indignant, he stopped right above her and put his hands on his hips.

"What's so funny?!" He demanded. She couldn't even talk she was laughing so hard. He waited for a minute, then sat down and waited some more. Finally, she got herself under control. Sort of. She sat up, trying to make some order out of her long, blonde hair.

"S-so-r-ry." She said, her bright blue eyes brimming with tears of laughter.

"Maybe you'd like to explain what was so funny about my landing?" He asked.

"Y-you call th-that a l-landing? Y-ou're crazier than I th-thought."

Now he was really angry, "Well, excuse me! I've never flown a ship before! How was I supposed to know how to land?!"

She finally stopped laughing, and stared at him with round eyes. "You've never flown before?" He shook his head, causing it to ache. She stood up and peered at him, as if reevaluating her opinion of him.

"Well," she said, "You're either completely insane, or you have a lot of natural talent. What prompted you to fly all the way to the far edge of the galaxy, without even knowing how to do it?"

Now that he had recovered almost fully from his crash, some of his brusque demeanor returned, and he answered shortly, "Why should I tell you?"

She laughed, he was really beginning to hate that laugh. "You think you're so tough, don't you? Well, fair's fair, I haven't even introduced myself." She held out her hand. "Alyah Wakeye, of the honorable planet Bespin."

"Karick." He said, still angry.

"That's all you're going to tell me?"

"Why should I tell you more?" He asked with genuine puzzlement.

"Because it's polite?" She said, and then realizing he was staring at her blankly. "You do know what polite means, right?"

He snorted. "I've never needed to be polite."

Alyah stared at him, "Where were you raised, Dathomir?" She asked incredulously.

"Coruscant."

"And your parents didn't teach you any manners?"

Karick immediately went on guard. "Dead." he said shortly, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go see what's left of my ship."

He turned to leave, but Alyah grabbed his arm. "Wait, Karick. I didn't know, I'm sorry."

"Why should you be? No one else ever was." He said, not looking at her.

"Look Karick, don't pretend that you're going to salvage your ship. There's nothing left to salvage. Now will you come inside so we can talk?"

"Fine. But first, why don't _you _tell _me _why you're here."

"Fair enough," she said, "I came because for months, I kept hearing this voice in my head, whispering things while I was asleep. Finally, I got sick of it, and flew here."

Karick tried to interrupt, but she cut him off. "I know it sounds crazy, but it's true, the coordinates just planted themselves into my head!"

Karick tried to explain, but she interrupted again

"Oh what's the use. You think I'm bonkers."

"No," Karick said, "I was going to tell you that I believed you."

"Really?"

"Yeah, 'cause that's the exact same reason I'm here."

She started to reply, but before she could, something spoke out in Karick's mind.

_Now that you've both discovered that you're here for the same purpose, _Boomed the voice that Karick had heard so much in his dreams. He looked at Alyah and found that she was obviously hearing the same thing.

_Yes, yes, you can both hear me. Now, you have both obeyed my summons, finally, and together you shall train to rule the galaxy. In times of old, your training would have taken you years, but we are limited on time, so we shall compress it into six months. Now, let your Sith training, begin!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Six months later**

Ben Skywalker was meditating on the roof of the Jedi Academy. It wasn't the best place to do it, but no one else knew he was there, or so he thought. So wrapped up in letting his thoughts go, he failed to notice when his girlfriend, Vestara Khai sat down next to him until she groaned. He jumped, then, realizing who it was, smiled.

"How was Jedi History Class?" He asked, knowing full well what the answer would be.

She stuck out her tongue at him. "Boring. Master Lyaru just talks on and on. I mean, who cares what Jedi defeated which Sith five million years ago? Plus, every time she says the word 'Sith' she glares at me."

"Ah. I'm so glad I never had to attend any classes here." He said, smirking at her.

"Yeah? Well now you don't know anything about Jedi history."

"Sure I do."

"Okay then, what Sith was defeated by which Jedi five million years ago?"

He pretended to think for a minute. "I don't know his last name, but I bet his first name was Darth. Ow! What was that for?"

She just rolled her eyes. "Come on, let's go get lunch. I'm starving."

He stood up. "I guess I'm starting to rub off on you."

She was puzzled, "What makes you say that?"

"You just said you were starving."

She grinned. "So I did. And so I am. Let's go."

~O~

Jaina Solo Fel sat on the gel-form couch in her apartment, watching the news with her husband, when suddenly she felt a sharp pain in her stomach. Shooting upright in her seat, she gasped, then said to Jag,

"I really don't want to say what everyone else says, but Jag? It's time!"

Jag twisted in his seat to look at her shrewdly. "This isn't like the other three, is it? Because I'm fairly sure the doctor is getting tired of seeing us."

The pain shot through her abdomen again and she groaned. "No! It's really, really time!"

Jag practically leaped from the couch, grabbing the bag he had packed for just this occasion, and helped Jaina from the apartment, out the building, and into an air-taxi. Once they were on their way, Jag pulled out his comlink, and made the call.

"Doctor? This is Jag. We're on our way." He hung up, but not before he could hear the the man groan, "Again?"

~O~

Leia Solo sat in the cockpit of the_ Millenium Falcon _which was in hyperspace, traveling from Kashyyyk to Corellia. Now that there was peace in most parts of the galaxy, Han and Leia had taken some well-earned vacation time, and were traveling around the galaxy, visiting their friends and family. They had just finished visiting the family of Han's former copilot, and were on their way to the Transitory Mists, to visit Luke and Ben. Leia suddenly felt a jolt of pain from their daughter, so awful that Leia gasped.

Han immediately spun his chair to look at her. "What's wrong, sweetheart?" He asked.

"J-Jaina," was all that Leia could manage to say. The color drained from Han's face, leaving him looking like a ghost. Just then, Jaina seemed to realize she was causing Leia pain, and shut off from her completely. Han had already dropped them from hyperspace and was plotting a route to Coruscant. He looked at Leia with uncertainty and asked,

"She's not, you know, dead, is she?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong with her?" He asked, punching them back into hyperspace in a different direction.

"Han, relax. She's fine. Ready to become a grandfather again?"

Han let out the air he had been holding in. "Is that all? Are you trying to kill me? I'm not as young as I used to be."

Just then a voice sounded from behind them, coming from the other human passenger, who had just entered the cabin. "Grampa?" said Allana, "Why'd we leave hyperspace? Threepio says we're not heading to Hapes anymore, and you said I was going to go home after we visit Ben and Uncle Luke."

"Do you want to go home, sweetie?" Han asked, surprised.

"No, not at all! But I thought that was the plan."

Leia laughed. "When has your grandpa ever listened to plans?"

Allana considered this for a moment. "Never. So where are we going?"

"We're going to see Jaina."

"Yay! Is she having her baby?"

"She sure is," said Han. "And we're going to miss it."

"But, Grampa, this is the fastest ship in the galaxy!"

Han looked at Leia in resignation. "I've taught her too well."

~O~

Ben and Vestara were just finishing their lunch when Ben felt... something from his cousin. He let his food drop to his plate as he reached out, trying to figure out what was wrong. Communicating over such long distances was hard, even with the Force, but Jaina was reassuring him that everything was okay, at least that's what he thought. He couldn't quite tell. Jaina must have sensed his confusion, because she she sent him a blurry image through the Force, of a small baby, which must've been himself.

"Are you okay?" Vestara asked, since Ben was just sitting there with a pained look on his face.

"I _think _Jaina's in labor. I'm not sure, though."

Vestara nodded, "Should we go tell your dad?"

Ben looked at her quizzically. "Tell _who_?"

Vestara looked at him with exasperation. "Come on, Ben! This isn't exactly a great time!"

Ben looked sage and said, "Always you must refer to people properly, hmm, yes," in his imitation of Yoda.

Vestara sighed. "Fine. Should we go tell _Master _Skywalker?"

"Hmm. Already knows he does. Probably," Ben said, still in his Yoda voice.

Vestara looked at her chrono. "All right then. You can walk me to my next class, Master Yoda, but I'm telling you right now, I'm not going to be kissing any green lips. Period."

Ben gulped. "Why would you want to do that?" He replied in his normal voice. He stood and held his arm out to her. "Shall we walk?"

Vestara stood, trying to ignore the looks that she knew were directed at her. Since arriving six months ago, the Jedi and trainees in the academy had gradually become less afraid of her, but she doubted any of them trusted her, and there were still a few people who took every opportunity to torment her. At least when neither Ben nor his dad were around. She hadn't told anyone, but one girl had made it her personal goal to torment Vestara in numerous ways. Hailee Talcyon was her name, and although she was human, Vestara secretly suspected that one of her parents was a Wookie,because she was big, hairy, and loud. She could imagine Hailee swinging from big wroshyr tree branches on Kashyyyk. She smiled at the thought.

"Hey, Ves." Ben whispered, "Are you coming? 'Cause you're going to be late for class, and people are staring."

Vestara had been so lost in her thoughts, she had forgotten about where she was standing. "Uh, yeah." She stooped down and grabbed her bag, now conscious of the whispers that were spreading their way through the eating area. "Let's go."

As soon as they were out of the caf, Vestara smacked herself in the forehead and said something in Keshiri, which Ben assumed meant 'idiot' because she was always saying it to him. He was about to say something comforting, when he felt his father touch him through the Force.

"Ves? I know I was supposed to walk you to your class and all, but my dad wants me."

"Well, we wouldn't want to ignore Master Skywalker, would we? I'll be fine, it's only a short walk."

"Thanks. See you later!" He shouted as he was already running towards his father's quarters.

She watched him go, and then, as she was turning, she bumped into someone.

She started to apologize, but then, seeing who it was, stopped. "Oh. It's you." She said to Hailee. "Look, I'm gonna be late for class, so if you could taunt me quickly, then punch me, I could maybe make it on time. I am on a schedule, you know."

"Maybe I want you to be late," Hailee grunted, pounding her right hand into her left in a gesture that was probably meant to be intimidating, but Vestara just laughed, thinking about Hailee swinging from vine to vine with her big meaty hands.

_Of course, she'd have a hard time finding a vine strong enough to support her extensive weight._

That just made Vestara laugh harder, until Hailee dragged her behind the nearest building where no one could see them. for a moment, Vestara considered fighting back, but she knew she would just get in trouble. The masters wouldn't believe that Hailee had started do that, they would have to trust Vestara, which they were probably incapable of. Her thoughts were ended as the air shot out of her lungs, thanks to Hailee's fist. Vestara fell down gasping and lay on the ground, trying to regain her breath. She made sure to shut herself off from Ben, so he wouldn't feel her pain and come running. She didn't blame Hailee for hating her, and she certainly wouldn't want to make _Ben _mad at the apprentice.

That would be bad for everyone involved. For a moment, though, she imagined Ben running towards them, taking the situation in at a glance,and-

_Stop it! _Now she was angry with herself. Those weren't the thoughts of a Jedi. The air she had almost managed to regain was abruptly cut off as Hailee grabbed her throat and lifted her by it.

"What's the matter, Sith?" She sneered. "Aren't you going to call Prince Charming to come and save you?"

Vestara had to struggle to speak with the hands clamped around her throat like a vise. "I-I wouldn't want him to be sick." She croaked.

Hailee looked puzzled. "Seeing people get beat up makes him sick? How can he call himself a Jedi?"

Vestara tried to shake her head, but couldn't, so she just said, "N-no, I-i just d-don't want him to have t-to look at you."

Hailee's face, which right now, reminded Vestara of a Gamorrean, went bright red with anger, and she threw Vestara to the ground. Vestara gasped, trying to suck in air, but she had succeeded in making Hailee drop her, and now she could fill her lungs. At least, she could, before Hailee started kicking her. Deciding she had had enough, Vestara rolled towards Hailee's legs, tripping her, and then sprung upright and started running down the narrow alley between the buildings, Hailee's shouts ringing in her ears,

"That's right, Sith! Run back to your little boyfriend! If he loved you, don't you think he'd try to help you? No? Maybe because he doesn't love you? That's right! He doesn't, so run back to him, but eventually he'll get sick of your lies!"

Vestara ran as fast as she could, shooting past a Master and knocking his datapad onto the ground, but she didn't even stop. He probably thought she had done it on purpose, but for once, Vestara didn't care. She didn't care what anyone thought, all she wanted was to get away from here. She ran until she could run no more, and then she collapsed, sobbing, behind one of the dormitories. She used a breathing exercise to regain her air and stop crying, but she still felt miserable.

_She's right, _Vestara thought. _I don't belong here. I'm just pretending to. Maybe I should just leave now. _Her thoughts were interrupted when someone slid down the wall and sat next to her. She started to turn away, not wanting anyone to see her crying, but was stopped by a hand. "It's all right. I'm not that scary." Said a joking voice. Vestara looked up at its owner, and found herself staring into a pair of dark green eyes. Backing up slightly, she saw a man, about her own age, with spiky black hair and a kind smile. She was astonished to see a scar, almost exactly like her own, on the corner of his mouth.

"So," he said, "Had a rough day?"

She nodded, wiping her still-dripping nose, and realizing how immature she probably looked. "Yeah. Little bit. I don't think I've seen you around here before."

He nodded. "It's about to get a whole lot worse."

"What is?"

"Your day," He said, holding up a cloth to her face. She was overwhelmed by the sickening smell, and felt herself slipping into unconsciousness. Through the haze, she saw the boy smile at her, and just before slipping into darkness, she heard him say, "The name's Karick, in case you were wondering."


	3. Chapter 3

Luke Skywalker sat at a station in the Jedi Academy's comm center, staring at the message in front of him.

_Luke-_

_Iella recently came into some information which may concern you, although it's source might not be accurate. A man, living in the undercities of Coruscant, who preferred to be known only as 'Braxton' was trying to sleep in his meager apartment when he heard someone shouting. He didn't recall exactly what was said, but it was something to the effect of ruling the galaxy, and he ended it by clearly stating that he 'will kill Ben Skywalker.' This information was filed about six months ago, but Iella only learned of it yesterday, through rather unorthodox methods, which she prefers were not mentioned, as we're sort of working outside the official intelligence source. Naturally Iella was concerned, and I thought I would give you a heads-up, even though I personally think the rodder was nuts. May the Force be with you,_

_Wedge._

He read it again, trying to see if he had missed anything, and then reached out in the Force and called Ben to him. Luke felt his son's disappointment at being interrupted with whatever he was doing, probably with Vestara, but he obeyed. Luke read the message again, and again, before Ben ran into the comm center at top speed, sprinting to Luke's side, and almost slammed into the console. He executed a sweeping bow, and then said,

"You called?"

"Yes, I did. Try to stop breaking things, please."

"It's inherited."

"From which side?"

"Well, I don't think mom was ever clumsy, so I'm guessing the moisture-farmer from the outer rim."

Luke sighed, "Well, if you're going to be that way, I guess I won't share this crucial information I just received which involves you."

Ben pulled a chair from the console next to Luke's, failing to notice the Wookiee apprentice who was about to sit down. A few seconds later, he found himself pinned to the wall with a big hairy paw.

"Whooah!" Ben yelled. "Put me down, Hallwarah! It was an honest accident!"

The wookiee growled suspiciously then reluctantly set him down, and took the chair back.

Ben got another chair from across the room, checking to make sure no one was even looking at it, and pulled it to Luke's side.

"Graceful as ever, Ben." Luke said, obviously suppressing a laugh.

Ben straightened his robes, ignoring his father, until Luke said, "Fine, Mr. High and Mighty, take a look." He swung the screen around until Ben could see it, and waited until his son was finished reading.

"Is this for real?" Ben asked incredulously.

"Yes. It is from Wedge, after all."

"That's why I was asking," Ben said wryly.

"Have some respect for your elders."

"Like you did for yours?"

Luke decided it was time to change the subject, before Ben brought up Yoda again.

"Anyway, what do you think?"

"I think you must be really desperate to get me away from Vestara."

Luke sighed resignedly. "Could you take this seriously?"

"Why? I'm not exactly going to be scared of some barvy homeless guy living in the undercity."

"I'm not worried about the 'barvy homeless guy.' I'm worried about the other guy."

"They're probably both barvy homeless guys, one of them on too much spice."

Luke was about to reply, when an apprentice ran into the room, gasping, and tried to speak, but couldn't because she was panting too hard.

"Mas-Master Sk-Skywalker-" She began,

Luke sat upright, but it was Ben who said, "Calm down and catch your breath, you're not going to be able to tell him anything if you pass out."

The apprentice did as ordered and then relayed her message.

"MasterSkywalkeryou'dbettercomequickcausethere'sbeenamurder!" She blurted out.

Ben looked at her with confusion, but Luke was already running out the door.

"Wha-" Ben started to ask, then shook his head and ran out of the room after to his dad.

~O~

Jaina lay propped up in the bed in her hospital room, staring in awe at the tiny, wrinkly baby in her arms.

Jag sat next to her with the baby's little fingers wrapped around his thumb. They had been this way for quite some time, content to sit with each other and their baby. At least until the room's intercom buzzed and the nasal voice of the receptionist echoed from it,

"Room 209, occupant Jaina Solo-Fel, you have visitor at the front desk, who refuse to leave even though I have explained to them that no visitors are allowed, according to hospital protocol."

Jaina reached out in the Force and felt her mother's frustration, several floors down. "Send them up."

"I'm sorry, but according to protocol visitors are not permitted immediately after a birth."

In the background, Jaina heard her father's gruff voice. "If you say the word protocol one more time..."

The receptionist sounded panicky now. "Captain Solo, there is no need for that! If you don't put your weapon away immediately, I will have to call security!"

"You think you're 'security' is going to be able to touch me? I've been dealing with 'security' since before you were born! And I'll tell you something else-"

"Han," Leia interrupted, "Put it away. We all know you're not going to use that in front of Allana. Look," she said to the receptionist, "we just want to see our daughter and grandchild. So why don't you let us?"

Now the poor woman sounded confused. "I-I don't know..."

"Good. Now why don't you tell us what floor they're on?"

"Floor nine, room 906."

"Thank you so much." They heard Allana say before the comm was shut off.

Jag laughed. "Typical Solo family. You'd think I'd be used to it by now."

Jaina smiled and shifted Davin into Jag's open arms, so she could sit up straighter. "Better prepare yourself, they're almost here."

"Mentally? Or did you mean barricade the door?" Jag quipped. A few seconds later, the door slid open to admit the rest of the Solo family. Allana Rushed to Jag's side, her eyes widening as she saw the baby. "Is it going to be that wrinkly forever?" She asked, her button nose crinkling with distaste.

"No, he is not." Jag said, nodding at Han and Leia, who had entered the room at a slower pace, and were now standing beside Jaina's bed.

"Good. What's his name?"

It was Jaina who replied. "Davin Gilad Fel. And hello to you too, Allana."

Allana blushed and, rather sheepishly, returned the greeting.

"So, how you doing, kid?" Han said, his voice filled with pride.

Jaina grinned. "When are you going to stop calling me kid?"

"You'll always be my kid."

"Even though you haven't had any control over me since I was a teenager?" She asked teasingly.

Leia snorted. "Or ever, now that you mention it!" They all laughed.

The reunion was interrupted by the arrival of a young nurse. She walked into the room and froze, coloring, as she realized that all eyes were on her.

"I-I'm sorry," she stammered. "I didn't realize you had guests."

"It's fine," Jaina said. "What do you need?"

"W-well, the doctor asked me to tell you that the post-birth scans turned up something that might be a problem, and he wants to know if we can do a retake to make sure there's nothing wrong."

"Whatever the doctor thinks is best. Did he say what the problem was?" Jaina asked, a hint of anxiety in her voice.

"We're not sure it is a problem. It might just be a glitch in the machinery, but we'd rather be safe and try it again."

"Of course." Jaina started to get up, but the nurse said, "Uh, I hate to remind you again, Master Solo-Fel, but you're supposed to stay in bed."

Jaina shot daggers at the nurse, who squeaked an apology, but Jag stopped her getting up. "I'll take him Jaina. You stay here and catch up with your family."

"Yeah, Auntie Jaina!" Said Allana, jumping up on the bed beside her, "tell me all about having babies!"

Jag chuckled as he walked out of the room, following the nurse down the long white hallways. they stepped into the turbolift and traveled down. Jag's brow furrowed as he watched the numbers click their way down to zero. "Weren't the scans on the fifth floor?" He asked, puzzled.

"Well, because there might be something wrong with those scanners, we're doing them on our extras, which are in the basement."

"Ah." Jag said, reassured. Just then, the turbolift dinged, indicating their arrival.

"It's just down the hall." The nurse said with a kind smile.

"What's your name, by the way? I just realized I never asked." Jag said, trying to make conversation.

"Oh, sorry about that. My name-tag got broken, so I had to leave it in my locker today."

Jag frowned, and was about to point out that she hadn't answered his question, but they were at the door that read **extra scanning machines**, and she was already ushering him inside.

"If you'll just lay him down on that bed right there, we'll get started. After all, the sooner we do this, the sooner he can get back to his mommy."

Jag turned and lay Davin on the little bed, but as he was turning back around, he was hit with a crackling bolt of energy, which knocked him to the floor, his vision already going black.

He heard her say, "It's all right. Your son will be safe with me." The last thing he heard before he descended into blackness were Davin's screams.


	4. Chapter 4

There was a light rain drizzling down on the Jedi Academy, which matched the mood of the small group of people gathered together around the body of Hailee Talcyon. Cilghal was just finishing her examination, which was unnecessary because everyone could see what had killed her. She had a cauterized wound which stretched from her right shoulder, down through her heart, and all the way to her left hip. The lightsaber which had probably killed her was her own, and it lay a few meters away, locked in the on position, sizzling as the raindrops hit it.

Luke used the Force to bring it to himself and thumbed it off. The others gathered around seemed to be holding their breaths, waiting for Luke to say something.

After the silence had stretched on for minutes, Cilghal stood and rolled her eyes toward Luke. "Would you like my to prepare the body for transport back to her family, Master Skywalker?"

Luke nodded, still staring at the body as if perplexed. "Uh, dad?" Ben asked with concern in his voice, "do you want me to assemble everyone in the great hall?" Luke straightened as if just realizing there was someone talking to him. "No, Kyp can do that. I need you here. Everyone else.. don't you have better things to do?" He said, glancing around the growing circle of Jedi. they muttered excuses and trickled off. Once they were gone, Ben stepped closer to his father. "I'd offer my forensic abilities I learned with the GAG," He said, "but I think it's pretty obvious how she died."

"But not who killed her." Luke stated.

"Well, it could have been anyone."

Luke sighed, "That's what I'm worried about."

~O~

Jag awoke to find Jaina leaning over, her brow furrowed in worry. He couldn't think why she would be so concerned until her voice broke through the fog that surrounded his thoughts.

"Jag? Are you all right? Where's Davin?"

Everything that had happened came back to him in a rush. He immediately sat up only to fall back, his head swimming. From above and behind him, he heard his father-in-law's voice.

"Don't try to sit up, kid. Stun bolts are nasty. You're gonna need a minute."

Jag groaned. Leia spoke next, her voice kind. "Do you remember what happened, Jag?"

"All too well. It took me about twenty minutes of parenthood to fail and let my son get kidnapped."

Jaina grimaced, obviously trying to look tough, but Jag knew her well enough to see she was holding back tears. Han was muttering curses behind him, but Leia was already on her comlink with Coruscant security, ordering them to shut down the spaceports and check all ships. Jag heard the man she was speaking with reply, but couldn't make out the words. Whatever it was wasn't good, because Leia thanked him tersely and ended the transmission.

Jag managed to sit up, mentally cursing himself, as Leia sighed. "I just spoke with Coruscant security and they said that a small yacht was stolen from the yard and blasted past their orbital defenses about ten minutes ago."

"Did they manage to get a reading on where it was going?" Jaina asked, her voice filled with worry.

"Not a definite one, but almost ninety percent chance it was toward the Outer Rim, in unknown space."

Han swore again. From the corner of the room came Allana's shocked voice. "Grampa! My mother says not to say that word! And anyway, why would anyone want to kidnap Davin?" Her question was met with silence that seemed to stretch on for hours, until Jaina broke it. "Don't blame yourself, Jag. There was nothing you could've done." Jag wished he could learn how to hide his feelings better. The Solos and Fels sat in silence for a while longer as Jag let Jaina's half-hearted assurance linger in the air. Finally Allana spoke. "Well? Aren't we going to go and rescue him?"

Han glowered. "We sure are, sweetie. And when we do, we're gonna make that mud-sucking sleemo wish she was never born."

~O~

"I ask that you all remain calm and not jump to conclusions, but if anyone knows anything that might be of help in discovering the identity of Hailee's killer, please see me in my office after this.

Luke was wrapping up his speech to the somber assembly of Jedi and trainees before him, and as was custom, every voice lifted as in unison, to recite the Jedi code.

"_There is no emotion, there is peace._

_There is no ignorance, there is knowledge._

_There is no passion, there is serenity._

_There is no death, there is the Force."_

The last line was said with a particular fervor, and the silence that followed was respectful.

Luke dismissed them, but he could see several people already heading towards the room he called his office, where he took care of the paperwork, that, while much-needed, was becoming increasingly tedious.

_Huh. Give me a Sith Lord or a Death Star, fine. When it comes to deskwork, I'm completely hopeless._

~O~

An hour later, having seen several people, all with their own story, Luke was faced with an insurmountable pile of evidence, all pointing towards one person. He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

_Time to talk to Ben. This should be fun._

As if his son had heard his thoughts, he chose that moment to poke his head through Luke's open door, followed by the rest of his body, his arms awkwardly trying to juggle two datapads, a comlink, and a piece of flimsi. He could tell from Ben's Force-aura that something, possibly several somethings, were bothering him. Luke gestured to the chair, and Ben, after unceremoniously dumping the items on Luke's desk, sat.

"Shall you go first, or shall I?" He asked with a wry smile.

Ben didn't even crack a smile. "Probably me." Luke gestured him to go ahead, and ben picked up one of the datapads, which Luke recognized as his own. "Message from your sister. Apparently you haven't been answering your comm."

"I had it turned off."

Ben gestured to the other datapad. "Observation by orbital control. Earlier this afternoon a heavily armed vessel took off from the jungle three klicks away from the temple. It refused all hailing signals, and OC was gonna open fire, but it zipped off into the Mists, destination vector unknown."

"No guesses at all?"

"The Mists screw things up, and anyway, if they went to that much trouble not to talk to us, they wouldn't be stupid enough to jump right to their destination." Ben sighed. "Well, at least that narrows the chances of it being anyone in the Academy."

"No records of the vessel previously?"

"None. So, the question is, how did it land?"

Luke shrugged. "What's on the flimsi? More bad news?" Ben blushed and shoved it onto his robe pocket. "Nothing. Just personal stuff." He said, a little too quickly. Luke decided to let it go. "So, what does Leia have to say?"

Ben's face drained of all color, making his red freckles stand out. "You'd better see for yourself. It isn't good."

"Is anything good today?"

"Lunch was." Ben said, a poor attempt to lighten the mood. He handed Luke the datapad.

_Luke,_

_Don't know why you're not answering your comm, but I hope you're okay._

_As you might have sensed Jaina had her baby this morning. He was kidnapped shortly thereafter. The only lead we have is that the ship was headed towards the outer rim, at least on the first jump. We could really use your help, if you're not to busy._

_Leia._

"Stang." Luke whispered. "This just gets better and better."

"Think they're connected?" Ben asked.

Luke was puzzled, "No. Why would they be?" Ben just shrugged, and Luke sighed. "Is there anything you're not telling me, Ben?"

"You haven't told me your bad news yet." Ben said nonchalantly.

"That's because I know you're not going to like it."

"I already don't, because I know you're going to say it was Vestara."

Luke sighed. "All the eyewitness accounts match up, no one was lying, and unless I'm mistaken, you've already looked for her, and you can't find her. And the only reason you would know who I suspect is because you've run into evidence of your own."

"No, I know that because the timing _does _match perfectly, and the eyewitness accounts_ are _true, and I _can't_ find her. which makes whoever did this a master at framing people."

"Ben? Do you know how ridiculous you sound right now? You're letting your emotions rule you! If you would listen to the facts-"

"No, dad! You listen!" Ben interrupted his voice rising. "Vestara wouldn't do this! Even if she did want to kill someone, which she didn't, why would she kill a simple apprentice? And why would she be so stupidly obvious as to run away? That screams 'guilty'!"

"Well, let's see," Luke said, his voice matching Ben's, "Maybe because she hated Hailee."

"What?! I don't think they've ever even spoken with each other!"

"Well, obviously you don't know her as well as you thought, because two of Hailee's best friends say she bullied Vestara almost constantly!"

Ben snorted, "Right, 'cause I wouldn't have noticed _that_."

"That's my point. She didn't tell you! Do you think there might've been other things she didn't tell you? Like how she was planning her revenge? Now, why don't we both calm down, and discuss this _reasonably_."

"She's innocent, dad! And I'm going to prove it!"

"How?! You don't even know where she went."

Ben pulled the flimsi back out of his robe. "I do, actually."

"She wrote you a note? What does it say?" Luke demanded.

"Why do you care? In your eyes, she's already guilty." Ben stood. "But she's not, and when I get back you'll see that too."

"So you're not even going to tell me where you're going? What happens when she tries to kill you, and no one can help you?"

"She wouldn't kill me! And I think you know that. Is this all it takes to change your opinion of someone? If that's the Jedi way, I don't think I want anything to do with it anymore!" Ben stormed out of the room, almost punching a hole in the wall when he closed the door.

"Ben! Get back here! You're not even thinking properly!" Luke shouted after him. He picked up his comlink to call Orbital Control.

_This is going to be fun to explain._


	5. Chapter 5

The blackness slowly faded as Vestara struggled to regain consciousness. Everything was a jumble, and her head was pounding like a bantha had sat on it. Gradually, she became aware that her hands were bound in cuffs. There was a low humming sound coming from somewhere behind her, which she assumed to be the engine of the ship she was traveling on.

_Wait, why am I on a ship at all?_ All of a sudden, everything came flooding back, and she sat up quickly, only to sink back to the deck as her head exploded with agony.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you. The effects of the drug I've been giving probably haven't worn off yet, and those stun-cuffs pack a nasty punch."

Vestara's eyes slowly focused on the two figures, sitting on a cargo box a few yards away. They stood, and as her head cleared, solidified into one person. The same person who had knocked her unconscious.

"Karick." She said, nodding amiably and squashing down the feeling of hatred she could feel bubbling up inside of her. "So kind of you to make sure I was comfortable."

He frowned. "You're not even going to try to escape or anything?" He asked, sounding puzzled. "Or try to kill me?"

"Of course not." She replied, while furiously thinking of a way to get out of this. "I was just wondering why you wanted me, out of all the other students at the academy."

His face brightened, reminding her of a child who had just been called on to solve a problem he knew how to do. "Why, to get revenge of course." He said proudly.

"Um, okay? What did I ever do to you? I've never even seen you in my life."

He looked at her incredulously. "I didn't do it to get revenge on you! It wasn't even my idea actually. We're doing this to get revenge on Ben Skywalker, and the whole Jedi order!" He said, as if reciting something.

"Oh, of course. How stupid of me. Why?" She asked wondering how this, well, _child _was planning to destroy the Jedi order by capturing her.

"Well, if we take you, Jedi Skywalker will have to come after you. We've also captured Davin Fel, and no doubt the Solos are already trying to figure out where we've gone. Master Skywalker himself is probably screaming at his son about how you're guilty for Hailee Talcyon's murder, and soon they'll all be fighting themselves!"

Vestara was astonished. "You. Idiot." She said, "You're voluntarily bringing the wrath of the Solo family down on yourself? And you actually think the Jedi are going to fight each other over me? They probably all think I'm guilty anyway! And you killed Hailee to convince them? Of course they all think I'm guilty! How do you expect Ben to be able to find us, anyway? He's not a god, you know."

"Of course he's not a god, we're going to kill him! And he does know where we are, I left him a note, and-"

"You left him a note telling him where we are?! Are you suicidal!? I suppose you left a note for the Solos, too?"

"No, a string of clues. They should find us right as we've finished killing your precious boyfriend. And I see what you're doing, you know." As he said the last bit, he reached out to grab Vestara's lightsaber, which she had spotted and been slowly dragging towards herself.

"I can tell when someone is using the Force."

"Could've fooled me." She grumbled. "I thought Force-sensitives were usually smart."

"I'm not just a Force-sensitive," He said imperiously. "I'm a Sith."

She tried to choke down her laugh, but it wasn't very successful. "And who trained you? Darth Patheticus?"

He glared. "I don't actually know it's name, but it goes by Ship. You see, I think you've actually fallen for my stupid little farm boy act. Pity, I would have expected better from a former Sith." He now longer seemed like a weak little child. In fact, now that she actually thought to use the Force, she could sense a dark, brooding anger lying under his surface. "Ship? Great. Now I'm actually surprised at how bad your plan is, if he is indeed behind it. He should know better than to get Ben angry."

"But, that's what he's trying to do. Get Ben angry." Karick said.

"He hasn't realized by now that that's never going to work? He really is hopeless."

Karick was about to retort when a dinging sounded from the front of the ship. "We'll continue this discussion later. For now, sweet dreams!" He shoved the cloth in front of her face again, and she slipped back into blackness.

~O~

"No, I'm telling you to stop his ship, not shoot him." Luke said yet again.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but our ability to stop a ship without damaging it is very low, and as the pilot is your son, practically non-existent." There was a murmur from another voice on the other end of the comm. "I'm sorry, Master Skywalker, but it's too late, your son has already made it rather effortlessly past our defenses." The chief of OC sounded rather flustered, so Luke cut off the remark he had been about to utter about the state of the defense system. Instead he sighed and disconnected the call.

He leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes. _May the Force be with you, Ben. Wherever you are._

~O~

Ben was, at the moment, extremely frustrated. Why did everything have to be so difficult? he had followed the coordinates on the flimsi exactly, and yet he was lost in the unknown regions. His Stealth-X floated in the deep blackness of space, where he had been for the last hour. Waiting. What did Vestara expect him to do? He leaned back in his chair and ran his fingers through his reddish-brown hair. He reached out through the Force, searching for any hint of her presence.

Nothing. Again. He sighed and sat back up, starting to power up his systems and chart a path back to the known part of the universe.

_Dad was right. I was following my feelings. Again. Will I never learn? _

His reverie was interrupted by the beeping of his proximity detectors. A small blip was floating very close to his ship.

"How did that get so close?" He wondered aloud. He opened a channel to his astromech.

"R-7? What is it?"

The droids answer scrolled across his screen.

Unknown. Does not appear to be any form of explosives.

"Hmm. Well, you may as well pull it into a missile launch tube. If it'll fit. And plot a course to the nearest planet so I can crack it open."

Affirmative Jedi Skywalker.

~O~

Han Solo walked back into Jag and Jaina's apartment, not relishing sharing the news, or lack of it, that he had.

As soon as he walked in the door, everyone jumped up and stared at him expectantly. He shook his head and watched as everyone sank back into their seats, disappointment on their faces.

"I tried every person and being I could think of. Nothing." Han said.

"You did your best, Dad." Jaina said.

"I did nothing to help." Han said, dropping himself onto the couch next to Jaina. "Where's Allana?"

"In bed." Said Leia. "Which is where we should all be. Come on, Jaina. Jag."

"I don't want to sleep. Not without him." Replied Jaina.

"Wearing yourself out after giving birth is going to help find him how, exactly?" Leia retorted. "You both need to get some sleep. You've been awake for over twenty hours. I will stay in the communication center all night if I have to. Go. To. Bed."

~O~

Vestara woke with less pain this time. It was still black but accented with hues of orange and red. Somewhere she could hear a baby crying. as her vision returned, she saw she was inside a cave. Something was wrong, but she couldn't figure out exactly what it was.

"Finally awake, are you?" Came a mocking voice from behind her. She turned as best she could with her hands and feet bound and said, "I'm really starting to hate waking up to your face."

Karick walked over to her, then stopped abruptly and took a step backwards.

Vestara smirked. "You're scared of me? Some Sith you are."

"Not scared, I just don't like being out of touch with the Force."

She cursed under her breath. "Very clever. Did you think of using those all by yourself?"

"Of course not. Until recently I had no clue what they were. It was Ship's idea. In fact-"

His gloating was interrupted by a call from the front of the cave. "Karick! Quit bragging and help me with this little brat!"

Karick rolled his eyes, and left. She could hear him talking in a low voice with the other person, a girl, and figured he would be occupied for a while. She immediately started planning possible escapes, and searching for the Ysalamiri that Karick had hidden somewhere around her. She strained her eyes searching the dark corners and crags of the cave. Finally, she looked up, and could barely make out the shape of a cage dangling in the shadows above her. She was shoved backwards by a hand planted on her chest. She slammed into the back wall of the cave, and as she was regaining her breath, she felt a bundle being pressed into her arms.

"Vestara, meet Davin Gilad Fel, your new charge. If he makes so much as a squeak, you both die."

She looked down at the tiny new human, and shifted him carefully. She'd never held a baby before, and ordinarily, she would be thrilled. Now she was terrified.

_How in the galaxy do you keep a baby quiet?_

~O~

**Sorry for my long Hiatus. I was overwhelmingly busy with school, band, etc. Hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**VJ**


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